Pirates
March 2008 Pirates are not just peg-legs, parrots and pistols. In this three part series, Nick Rankin finds out how they have adapted to changing times. From Black Beard to bandits who trail the coasts of Somalia, he takes a journey through history looking at pirates of the past, present and future. He also looks at the issue of modern-day piracy, from illegal downloads of music and software to counterfeit DVDs. You could even be a pirate without realising.
Part One - Swashbucklers of the past
Pirates are probably one of the most famous ‘baddies' of popular literature and screen. In the first part of this series, Nick Rankin takes a treacherous journey through history, deconstructing the popular modern image of pirates as we know. He plunges straight into the violent and dramatic lives of the corsairs and privateers. The golden age of piracy was between 1680 and 1730, where many sailors were out of work and took over the seas as pirates. Some were even licensed by their own governments to plunder foreign ships. They were seen as agents of their Empire. Sir Francis Drake was regarded by the Spanish as one of the most infamous. We also learn how China dealt with piracy by forcefully depopulating its coastline and moving it back 16 kilometres inland.
From reality to myth Pirates made their way into popular literature in the late 17th century where they were transformed into mythical figures. One of the most significant and widely read books was ‘Chronicles of Pirate Life' by Daniel Defoe. Books had huge popular appeal, providing escapism, excitement and adventure. However, it was Robert Louis Stevenson's ‘Treasure Island' that gave us our modern-day image of a pirate. Long John Silver with his bandana, eye patch and sword is probably one of the most favoured costumes at Halloween. Although pirates may seem like mystical characters, many popular myths like parrots on shoulders and peg-legs are not as fanciful as they might appear. From pirates to piracy, these documentaries separate myth from reality.
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Part Two - Modern day sea pirates
Ninety percent of the world's trade is still moved by sea, so it is not surprising that piracy against cargo vessels remains a significant issue. It is estimated that seaborne piracy costs the world tens of millions of dollars a year. Piracy peaked in 2003 with 445 attacks around the world and since then, they have steadily come down. In 2006 there were 239 attacks and last year the number increased slightly to 249. Attacks rose by fourteen percent towards the end of last year, largely around the territorial waters off Somalia.
Potential targets According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates attack different kinds of vessels for a variety of reasons. In Nigeria, pirates tend to attack vessels involved in the oil business. In South East Asia, mainly small tankers, tugs and barges are seized. Cargo is often stolen from barges and crew-members are kidnapped and held for ransom. In Somalia, any merchant ship is a potential target and they are advised to stay at least 200 miles off the coat of Somalia. Piracy is a growing business Somalia is a unique problem as there is no effective central government and no navy to protect its territorial waters. The country has also been at war for almost two decades. As a result, many young Somali men are uneducated and have no concept of the rule of law. Piracy has now become a way of making a living. Many foreign vessels fish in Somali waters ilegally, so militia groups have taken it upon themselves to tax those who do. Pirate fisherman provide cheap fish for home markets and Somali pirates support their towns and villages. That raises a key question: is helping your own people good or bad? An organisation called 'Taskforce 150' has been in operation since 2003 to try and improve maritime security. It involves naval forces from America, Britain, Pakistan and many more. Without help from other countries, it is very difficult to imagine whether Somalia will have sufficient resources and infrastructure to deal with piracy itself.
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Part Three - Mind-thieves
The origins of copyright can be traced back to medieval times, where scholars would right curses in their books so that if anyone was to copy what they wrote - they would also copy the curse and be cursed. However, copyright has now reached a digital age and the internet has transformed how we share information. From illegal downloads of music and video, to illicit DVDs and counterfeit designer goods - there isn't anything that's not being replicated illegally. For this episode, Nick travels from London to Hong Kong, finding out how the theft and reproduction of ideas and goods has become big business.
Protecting an idea Intellectual property covers a number of things like patents, designs, trademarks and copyright. Copying a person's ideas or products without their permission is known as intellectual piracy. Protecting an individual's creativeness, stops another person trying to earn money off the back of their idea. Intellectual property accounted for around 40% of the growth of the US economy last year and in Britain it was around 10%. An example of intellectual property can be something like Winnie the Pooh, the teddy bear originally created by the writer AA Milne and the illustrator EH Shepard in the 1920s, which is owned by the Walt Disney corporation. Disney uses the Winnie the Pooh brand to merchandise almost everything, from books to clothing. Isn't piracy just freedom of information? The possibilities of sharing files on the internet, be it data, music or movies, now defies the idea of a monopoly. Those against the idea see piracy as a method of 'not paying' and those in favour simply see themselves as 'information sharers'. The problem is that people don't want to pay high legitimate prices, so they often go to pirate sites to download material. The British band Radiohead has been quite revolutionary in trying to get rid of music piracy. They gave away their seventh album "In Rainbows" on the internet and let the public decide the price. If you get the product at a price you are prepared to pay then this will hopefully get rid of piracy. Cost of piracy The US economy claims that in 2007 it lost £58 billion pounds and 273,000 jobs due to international piracy. However, the United States were themselves the biggest intellectual pirates in the 19th century. British authors like Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had to fight to be paid any royalties for their written work in America. It seems like yesterday's pirates are today's enforcers.
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